


The Wrong Side of Life

by bilinski (merthurpendragon)



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-30 12:12:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3936313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merthurpendragon/pseuds/bilinski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I wasn't just born on the wrong side of town, Leesh. I was born on the wrong side of life." </p>
<p>In which a girl from the North Side goes looking for trouble and finds it in the Gallagher family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wrong Side of Life

**Author's Note:**

> This story time hops. The chapters will alternate the past and present. The dates will be labeled at the beginning of each chapter. (:

**august 3**

“For the love of god, Lip, normal people don’t spend their Monday nights digging up a dead body in their backyard!” She ran her fingers through her red hair. Lip followed her off the patio and into the street. His heart pounded in his chest and all he could think of was that this was going to be Karen all over again. 

“I thought you didn’t want normal,” Lip said. “You were the one hanging around the South Side looking for trouble.” 

Alicia laughed. It was so different from the warm laugh that Lip was always able to coax out of her even when she didn’t want to. She turned around to face him. “Yeah, trouble. A tatted up stoner who’d piss my parents off. Not some crazy family up to their elbows in illegal activity.”

Lip took a step towards her. In the streetlight, her hair looked like fire and her skin was spun like gold. Just like the first time he saw her, beneath the blazing sun, telling off one of the Milkovich boys, dressed way too well to pass as someone from the South Side. Another Milkovich was circling her from behind. So Lip stepped in. He took a few punches before Ian and Mickey showed up and Mickey told his brothers to get lost. Between Ian and Mickey, they managed to half-carry a bloodied Lip back to their house. Alicia stayed and helped clean the blood off his face and used a needle and some thread to stitch up his eyebrow. She did it carefully, but expertly. When he asked where she’d learned to do that, she’d just smiled and said life was full of secrets. 

It was then that he knew he was a goner. 

And now she was standing in front of him, clothes stained with the dirt from the Gallagher backyard. She’d helped them dig up Ginger without complaint even though, when Lip and Alicia got home, he could tell she was uncomfortable with the idea. He’d thanked his lucky stars that she hadn’t been the one to find the body. 

“So you’re leaving,” he said. 

“You think I’m going to stay here and continue digging up a dead body? You think I’m going to keep helping you roll joints and sell them to kids?” She shook her head and laughed again, that ugly sound from before. “My parents make seven figures. I have an automatic in at Harvard.” 

Lip grabbed her arm and yanked her close to him. Their noses were almost touching. “Don’t you dare act like you’re better than me just ‘cause you got money.” Up close, even in the shadows, Lip could see the fire in her eyes. Or what should have been fire. Instead, hidden deep with their green depths, he saw sadness. He saw the ache of the words coming out of her mouth. He relaxed his grip on her wrist but didn’t let her go. “What the fuck is going on?” 

“What’s going on is that _this_ ,” she nodded towards where his hand was on her arm, “this is going nowhere. Because _you’re_ going nowhere. This was fun. But summer’s over, Lip, and so are we.” She pulled herself from his grasp. But he wasn’t done with her. She hadn’t looked in his eyes as she spoke. 

“We’re not done here,” he yelled after her. 

She turned around to face him again, walking backwards into the street. “I’d say see you around but I won’t,” she called back. “And thank god for that.” 

Her words, though he suspected she didn’t mean them, still hurt. “I love you, Alicia,” he said. She stopped walking. The only sound for a few seconds was that of a police siren a few blocks away. And then she was storming up to him and pounding her fists into his chest and screaming, “don’t say that don’t you _fucking_ say that.” 

“Alicia, stop,” Lip said, trying to grab her arms and stop her assault. But eventually she gave up and sunk to the sidewalk, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook. “Alicia.” 

“Please, Lip,” she whispered. “Please just go.” 

But Lip sat down next to her. “No,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. Because I love you and you love me and this isn’t over.” 

“Just stop!” Alicia yelled. “Please, stop saying that.” 

“Would you just _talk_ to me?” 

Alicia sniffled and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. And then she looked at Lip, finally, for the first time since her sudden exit. Lip wished she’d just kept pretending to be angry and done with him because this was worse. 

She’d crashed into his life, fiery and beautiful, and Lip couldn’t take his eyes off her. There’d never been a time when she’d backed down from anything, when she’d ever given up. And Lip had tested that. A rich North Side girl? She had to have a line. But no. Alicia had kept up with the South Siders like she’d been one her whole life. And now it was like someone had blown her fire out. 

Her shoulders slumped with defeat. In her eyes was pure pain, like she was physically ripping herself away from him. “Lip,” she whispered. She reached up and cupped his cheek. He leaned into her touch, fearing that he wouldn’t feel it again. 

“Alicia,” he breathed. She pressed her lips firmly against his. Slowly, she led their kiss. And then she pulled away. 

“It’s over.” Her voice cracked. And then she was gone. Up, on her feet, running down the road with no looking back. Lip watched her go.


End file.
